The fragrance of the Gospel - St Johns
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the fragrance of the Gospel
eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time —August 1, 2021
Over the last few Sundays the liturgy has presented us with the image filled with Jesus’ tenderness
reaching out to the crowd and its needs. In today’s Gospel passage (cf. Jn 6:24-35) the perspective
changes. The crowd whose hunger Jesus has satisfied begins to seek him anew and goes to
encounter him. But for Jesus, it is not enough that people seek him. He wants people to know him.
He wishes that the search for him and the encounter with him go beyond the immediate satisfaction
of material needs.
Jesus came to bring us something more, to open our lives to a wider horizon than the daily concerns
of eating, clothing ourselves, career and so on. Thus, turning to the crowd, he exclaims: “you seek
me, not because you saw signs but because you ate your fill of the loaves (v. 26)”.
In this way, he encourages the people to go a step further and to question themselves on the
significance of the miracle, and not simply to take advantage of it. Indeed, the multiplication of the
loaves and the fish is a sign of the great gift the Father has given to humanity, which is Jesus himself!
He, the true “bread of life” (v. 35), wants to satisfy not just the bodies but also the souls, giving the
spiritual food that can satisfy profound hunger. This is why he invites the crowd to obtain not the
food which perishes, but that which endures for eternal life (cf. v. 27). It is the food that Jesus gives
to us every day: his Word, his Body, his Blood.
The crowd listens to the Lord’s invitation, but does not understand its meaning — as often happens to
us — and asks him: “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” (v. 28).
Those who are listening to Jesus think that he is asking them to observe the precepts in order to
obtain more miracles like the multiplication of the loaves. This is a common temptation; to reduce
religion to only the practice of its laws, projecting onto our relationship with God the image of the
relationship between servants and their master: servants must carry out the tasks that the master
assigns to them in order to enjoy his benevolence. We all know this.
Therefore, the crowd wants to know from Jesus which actions it must perform in order to please God.
But Jesus’ reply is unexpected: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has
sent” (v. 29). Today, these words are also addressed to us: God’s work does not consist so much in
“doing” things, but in “believing” in Him whom He sent. This means that faith in Jesus allows us to
carry out God’s works. If we allow ourselves to be involved in this loving and trusting relationship with
Jesus, we will be able to perform good works that exude the fragrance of the Gospel for the good and
needs of our brothers and sisters.
The Lord invites us not to forget that, if it is necessary to worry about bread, it is even more
important to nurture our relationship with Him, to strengthen our faith in Him, who is the “bread of
life” who came to satisfy our hunger for truth, our hunger for justice and our hunger for love.
May the Virgin Mary, support us in our journey of faith and help us to joyfully surrender ourselves to
God’s design for our lives.
POPE FRANCIS August 5, 2018
obras que huelen a Evangelio
XViIi Domingo Ordinario — 1 de agosto, 2021
En estos últimos domingos, la liturgia nos ha mostrado la imagen cargada de ternura de Jesús
que va al encuentro de la multitud y de sus necesidades. En el pasaje evangélico de hoy (cf. Juan
6, 24-35) la perspectiva cambia: es la multitud, hambrienta de Jesús, quien se pone nuevamente
a buscarle, va al encuentro de Jesús. Pero a Jesús no le basta que la gente lo busque, quiere que
la gente lo conozca; quiere que la búsqueda de Él y el encuentro con Él vayan más allá de la
satisfacción inmediata de las necesidades materiales.
Jesús ha venido a traernos algo más, a abrir nuestra existencia a un horizonte más amplio
respecto a las preocupaciones cotidianas del nutrirse, del vestirse, de la carrera, etc. Por eso,
dirigido a la multitud, exclama: «Vosotros me buscáis, no porque habéis visto señales, sino porque
habéis comido de los panes y os habéis saciado» (v. 26).
Así estimula a la gente a dar un paso adelante, a preguntarse sobre el significado del milagro, y
no solo a aprovecharse. De hecho, ¡la multiplicación de los panes y de los peces es un signo del
gran don que el Padre ha hecho a la humanidad y que es Jesús mismo!
Él, verdadero «pan de la vida» (v. 35), quiere saciar no solamente los cuerpos sino también las
almas, dando el alimento espiritual que puede satisfacer el hambre profunda. Por esto invita a la
multitud a procurarse no la comida que no dura, sino esa que permanece para la vida eterna (cf.
v. 27). Se trata de un alimento que Jesús nos dona cada día: su Palabra, su Cuerpo, su Sangre.
La multitud escucha la invitación del Señor, pero no comprende el sentido —como nos sucede
muchas veces también a nosotros— y le preguntan: «¿qué hemos de hacer para llevar a cabo las
obras de Dios?» (v. 28).
Los que escuchan a Jesús piensan que Él les pide cumplir los preceptos para obtener otros
milagros como ese de la multiplicación de los panes. Es una tentación común, esta, de reducir la
religión solo a la práctica de las leyes, proyectando sobre nuestra relación con Dios la imagen de
la relación entre los siervos y su amo: los siervos deben cumplir las tareas que el amo les ha
asignado, para tener su benevolencia. Esto lo sabemos todos.
Por eso la multitud quiere saber de Jesús qué acciones debe hacer para contentar a Dios. Pero
Jesús da una respuesta inesperada: «La obra de Dios es que creáis en quien él ha enviado» (v.
29). Estas palabras están dirigidas, hoy, también a nosotros: la obra de Dios no consisten tanto
en el «hacer» cosas, sino en el «creer» en Aquel que Él ha mandado. Esto significa que la fe en
Jesús nos permite cumplir las obras de Dios. Si nos dejamos implicar en esta relación de amor y
de confianza con Jesús, seremos capaces de realizar buenas obras que perfumen a Evangelio, por
el bien y las necesidades de los hermanos.
El Señor nos invita a no olvidar que, si es necesario preocuparse por el pan, todavía más
importante es cultivar la relación con Él, reforzar nuestra fe en Él que es el «pan de la vida»,
venido para saciar nuestra hambre de verdad, nuestra hambre de justicia, nuestra hambre de
amor.
Que la Virgen María, nos sostenga en nuestro camino de fe y nos ayude a abandonarnos con
alegría al diseño de Dios sobre nuestra vida.
PAPA FRANCISCO 5/Agosto/2018
The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick will be offered the next weekend, Saturday,
August 7, after the 5:00 p.m. Mass and Sunday, August 8, after the 9:00 a.m. Mass.
Sacrament of Reconciliation Fridays 6:00 p.m.— 6:45 p.m. Saturdays 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Any other time by appointment.
Parish Office Summer hours — For the months of August, the Parish Office will be open
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
El próximo fin de semana DESPUES de las misas, se celebrará el sacramento de la
Unción de los Enfermos. Sábado 7:00 p.m. y Domingo 11:00 a.m.
Sacramento de la Reconciliación Viernes 6:00 — 6:45 p.m. Sábados 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
O con cita previa llamando a la oficina parroquial.
Horario de oficina durante el Verano En agosto, la oficina parroquial estará abierta los martes,
miércoles y jueves de 8:30 a.m. a 12:00 p.m.
To Inform, To Encourage, To Heal
In recent weeks, wounds have been reopened. Canadians have been saddened and angered by
the discovery of the remains of children in unmarked graves on the site of Residential Schools. We
pray for all those affected by the tragic death of the children who died in residential schools in our
country. They must never be forgotten.
In response to the recent discoveries of unmarked graves on the site of former Residential Schools
across Canada, His Excellency, Bishop Crosby, OMI, issued a Pastoral Letter entitled: To Inform,
To Encourage, To Heal.
His Excellency’s letter, along with multiple resources including: a brief history of Residential
Schools in Canada, Expressions of Apology and Actions and Commitments towards reconciliation,
have been encompassed in a special section on our diocesan website.
In an effort to share this initiative further and to provide an informative response to inquires of
parishioners across the Diocese. Please see the Pastoral Letter from Bishop Douglas Crosby,
OMI (June 18, 2021)
St John’s Parish - Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
office@stjohnskitchener.ca — oficina@parroquiaguadalupe.ca
519 745 7855 — 85 Strange St., KitchenerYou can also read
